Sports-car racing

June 02, 2010

IZOD IndyCarFirestone 550kSite: Fort Worth, Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (4 p.m., Versus); Saturday, race (7 p.m., Versus)Race distance: 342 miles/228 laps2009 winner: Helio CastronevesFast facts: Dario Franchitti raced to his second Indianapolis 500 victory on Sunday, winning under caution after a spectacular, airborne crash with a lap left that sent Mike Conway high into the fence and to the hospital with a broken left leg and compression fracture in his back. The victory made Chip Ganassi the first owner to win Indy and NASCAR’s Daytona 500 in the same year. ... Will Power leads the season standings with 227 points, 11 more than Franchitti. Power swept the opening road races in Sao Paulo and St. Petersburg. ... Conway is expected to be sidelined at least three months. ... Motorcycle daredevil Robbie Knievel will attempt to jump more than 200 feet over police cars before the race.www.indycar.com

May 26, 2010

IndyCarIndianapolis 500Site: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval, 2.5 miles)TV schedule: Friday, Carb Day, including Firestone Freedom 100 Indy Lights race (10 a.m., Versus); Sunday, race (noon, ABC)Race distance: 500 miles/200 laps2009 winner: Helio CastronevesFast facts: Scott Dixon won for the second straight year at Kansas Speedway, leading the final 150 laps in the May 1 race. Dario Franchitti was second. ... Helio Castroneves won his fourth Indy pole Saturday, averaging 227.970 mph in his four-lap run. The Brazilian star will be joined on the front row by Penske teammate Will Power and Target Chip Ganassi’s Franchitti. Patrick will start 23rd, her worst career position at Indy. ... The drivers will be allowed to use the push-to-pass button 15 times. The extra horsepower boosts will last 18 seconds and take 10 seconds to reset. The button, introduced in August at Mid-Ohio, is being used for the first time at Indianapolis. ... Franchitti, the 2007 race winner, won the season title last year. ... Dixon won the 2008 race. ... Ray Harroun won the inaugural event in 1911.www.indycar.com

NASCAR Sprint CupCoca-Cola 600Site: Concord, N.C., Charlotte Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)TV schedule: Today, practice (2:30 p.m., Speed), qualifying (6 p.m., Speed); Saturday, practice (10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (4:45 p.m., Fox)Race distance: 600 miles/400 laps2009 winner: David ReutimannFast facts: Kurt Busch won the All-Star race Saturday at Charlotte for Penske Racing, sailing past feuding Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch to take the $1 million prize. Hamlin and Kyle Busch were racing for the lead in the final segment when Hamlin tried to block Kyle Busch’s pass, sending him into the wall. ... Kevin Harvick leads the series standings with 1,768 points, followed by Kyle Busch (1,699), Matt Kenseth (1,642), four-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson (1,637) and Hamlin (1,618). ... Johnson, the Charlotte winner in October, won five times in a six-race stretch at the track — taking the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 and sweeping the spring and fall races in 2004 and 2005. He has three victories — worth 30 bonus points when the Chase begins — to share the series lead with Hamlin ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. is winless in 69 races and has only one victory in 84 starts for Hendrick Motorsports. He has 18 career Sprint Cup wins. ... Kyle Busch won the Trucks race last week at the track for his 70th victory in NASCAR’s top three divisions. ... Jeff Gordon won the 1994 race for the first of his 80 Cup victories. He also won in 1997 and 1998, and has two Charlotte fall victories. ... Darrell Waltrip won the race a record five times.www.nascar.com

NASCAR NationwideTech-Net Auto Service 300Site: Concord, N.C., Charlotte Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)TV schedule: Today, practice (1 p.m. and 4 p.m., Speed); Saturday, qualifying (8:30 a.m. Speed) and race (1 p.m., ABC)Race distance: 300 miles/200 laps2009 winner: Mike BlissFast facts: Kyle Busch raced to his fourth Nationwide victory of the year, leading 191 of 205 laps May 15 at Dover. He won the Sprint Cup race the following day. ... Busch won the October race at Charlotte en route to the season title and took the Trucks race last week for his 70th victory in NASCAR’s top three divisions. He has 34 Nationwide victories and has won 18 times in both Sprint Cup and Trucks competition. Not planning to run the full Nationwide schedule, Busch is second in the standings — 11 points behind fellow Sprint Cup driver Brad Keselowski. ... The race is the series’ first afternoon start at the track since 2004.www.nascar.com

Formula OneTurkish Grand PrixSite: Istanbul Speed Park (road course, 3.32 miles)TV schedule: Friday, practice (6 a.m., Speed); Saturday, practice, qualifying (6 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (6:30 a.m., Speed)Race distance: 192.25 miles/58 laps2009 winner: Jenson ButtonFast facts: Mark Webber won the Monaco Grand Prix on May 16 for his second straight victory. Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel was second. ... Webber and Vettel each have a series-high 78 points after six races. Webber leads the standings based on his two victories. ... Jenson Button, now racing for McLaren, also has two victories this year and is third in the standings with 70 points. ... F1 will return to the United States in 2012 in Austin, Texas, on a track built specifically for the event. F1, Austin and Texas state officials announced the deal Tuesday, saying Austin would host the U.S. Grand Prix until 2021. The race was dropped after an eight-year run in Indianapolis from 2000-07.www.formula1.com

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car SeriesMemorial Day ClassicSite: Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Conn. (road course, 1.53 miles)TV schedule: Race, Monday (1 p.m., Speed)Race duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes2009 winners: Event not heldFast facts: The Daytona Prototypes will make their debut at The Memorial Day Classic this year. The event was a GT-only race in 2008. ... The visit to Lime Rock Park will be a one-day event. Practice and qualifying are scheduled for Monday morning with the race set to begin around 1 p.m. (Central). ... The series heads to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International for the Six Hours at The Glen on June 5.www.grand-am.com

April 21, 2010

NASCAR Sprint CupAaron’s 499Site: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (oval, 2.66 miles)TV schedule: Friday, practice (1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., Speed); Saturday, qualifying (10:30 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (noon, Fox)Race distance: 500 miles/188 laps2009 winner: Brad KeselowskiFast facts: Denny Hamlin won the rain-delayed race at Texas Motor Speedway on Monday for his second victory of the year and first since surgery on his left knee. Hamlin led the final 12 laps after a nine-car wreck took out dominating Jeff Gordon and polesitter Tony Stewart. ... Sunday’s race at Talladega is the first restrictor-plate event since the switch from the rear wing to a spoiler. ... Jamie McMurray won the October race at the track, as well as the season-opening Daytona 500. ... Jimmie Johnson is making his 300th Cup start. He has three victories this season and 50 overall. The four-time defending series champion leads the standings, 108 points ahead of Matt Kenseth. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. has five Talladega victories, winning a record four straight from 2001-2003. ... David Reutimann’s No. 00 Toyota has a special Alabama national football championship paint scheme. ... Michael Waltrip is attempting to qualify the No. 55 Prism Motorsports Toyota.www.nascar.com

NASCAR NationwideAaron’s 312Site: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (oval, 2.66 miles)TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (10:30 a.m., Speed); Saturday, race (1:30 p.m., ABC)Race distance: 311.22 miles/117 laps2009 winner: David RaganFast facts: Kyle Busch ran his Texas Motor Speedway series winning streak to five on Monday, joining Jack Ingram and Dale Earnhardt as the only drivers to win five straight Nationwide series races at a track. Busch led 153 of 200 laps in the rain-delayed race for his second straight victory and third in seven races this season. ... Busch has 33 Nationwide victories, third behind Mark Martin (48) and Kevin Harvick (36). The defending series champion leads the standings, 20 points ahead of Brad Keselowski. ... Chrissy Wallace is teaming with father Mike Wallace for J-D Motorsports. ... Steve Arpin, the Canadian coming off an ARCA victory in Texas, is making his series debut in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned car that Danica Patrick drove in the first three races.www.nascar.com